“This isn’t the house, I grew up in, but it is still very much home,” says Mary Catherine Folmar of her mama’s house, a 1929 redbrick Georgian just off the Athens, Alabama, downtown square where her grandparents used to live.
The house lends itself to outdoor entertaining on the front porch, lawn, and backyard — a recently landscaped addition by garden designer Troy Rhone. It’s certainly an easy house to come home to, and a festive venue for hosting both local get-togethers, book signings, and parties through Mary Catherine Folmar’s partnership with Lydia Menzies Supper Club.
The entertaining sensibility here traces back directly to Mary Catherine’s grandmother. Longtime dairy farmers, her grandparents relocated to Athens after they retired from farm life, but they brought their quietly elegant way of life with them — something that Mary Catherine and her mom, Mary Nelle Clem, continue to hone and enjoy.
“Growing up, my mom introduced me to beautiful table settings, the allure of historical design—and especially a love of Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia.”
– Mary Catherine Folmar
The world’s largest living history museum, Colonial Williamsburg, where Mary Catherine and her family would visit often on vacation offered her an immersive look at 18th-century decorative arts. This allure shines through in the way Mary Catherine’s table is set, the objects she chooses, and the ease with which the house welcomes people in.
Mary Catherine Folmar | Cotton & Quill
For more about her workshops, events, or products, visit cottonquill.com.
This story appears in the July/August 2026 issue of Birmingham Home & Garden. To see more inside the house subscribe here.
Resources
Interior Design: Mary Catherine Folmar Garden Design: Troy Rhone Florals: Matthew Jimmerson with Athen’s Florist
